Spencer, IA Micro Area
The Spencer, IA micro area is one county in Iowa: Clay County. About 16,202 people lived there on July 1, 2025 (Census estimate), 1.1% fewer than in April 2020.
- Population, July 2025
- 16,202 1.1% fewer than in April 2020
- Type
- Micropolitan statistical area
- County
- Clay County
- Land area
- 567 sq mi (1,469 km²)
- Time zone
- Central TimeUTC-06:00 in January; UTC-05:00 in July
- State
- Iowa
- Combined statistical area
- Spencer-Spirit Lake, IA
- CBSA code
- 43980
The county in the Spencer, IA micro area
| County | Role | Population, July 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Clay County | Central | 16,202 |
A central county holds the area’s core, an urban area of 10,000 to 49,999 people. This area has no outlying counties: no neighboring county sends enough commuters to join it. A county belongs to one metro or micro area at most, and it counts whole, countryside included.
Principal city
- Spencer11,400 people
OMB names the area after its largest principal cities. A principal city is the area’s largest city, plus any other city that is very large or a big job center, and smaller ones with at least as many jobs as working residents (2020 Census and commuting figures). People counts are American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates.
Part of the Spencer-Spirit Lake, IA combined statistical area
OMB joins neighboring metro and micro areas into a combined statistical area when enough people commute between them. The other area in this one is
- Spirit Lake, IA Micro Area18,077 people
Bordering metro and micro areas, nearest first
Areas with a county on this area’s edge. Distances are straight lines between the areas’ largest cities.
- Spirit Lake, IA Micro Area19 mi north
- Storm Lake, IA Micro Area35 mi south
Before using this answer on a form
A metro or micro area is a statistical area that OMB draws for federal statistics. It is not a city, a local government or a mailing address, and it is not a measure of urban and rural: whole counties count, rural parts included. Programs that use metro areas, such as housing income limits or wage rates, can use their own version of these lists; check the program’s own list for an address.
Find the metro area where you are now, find your county, or see every metro and micro area by population.